Thrones Angels in the Christian Angel Hierarchy

Thrones angels are known for their wonderful minds. They contemplate God's will on a regular basis, and with their strong intellect, they work to understand that knowledge and figure out how to apply it in practical ways. In the process, they acquire great wisdom. 

The Angel Hierarchy

In the Christian Bible, Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16 describe a schema of three hierarchies, or triads of angels, with each hierarchy containing three orders or choirs.

Thrones angels, who rank third in the most common angelic hierarchy, join angels from the first two ranks, the seraphim, and the cherubim, on God's council of angels in heaven. They meet directly with God to discuss his good purposes for everyone and everything in the universe, and how angels can help fulfill those purposes.​

The Council of Angels

The Bible mentions the heavenly council of angels in Psalm 89:7, revealing that "In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared [respected]; he is more awesome than all who surround him." In Daniel 7:9, the Bible describes thrones angels on the council specifically "...thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days [God] took his seat."

The Wisest Angels

Since thrones angels are especially wise, they often explain the divine wisdom behind the missions that God assigns to angels who work in lower angelic ranks. These other angels—who range from the dominions directly below the thrones rank to the guardian angels working closely with human beings—learn lessons from the thrones angels about how best to perform their God-given missions in ways that will accomplish God's will in each situation. Sometimes thrones angels interact with humans. They act as God's messengers, explaining God's will to people who have prayed for guidance about what is best for them from God's perspective about important decisions they need to make in their lives.

Angels of Mercy and Justice

God perfectly balances love and truth in every decision he makes, so thrones angels try to do the same. They express both mercy and justice. By balancing truth and love, as God does, thrones angels can make wise decisions.

Thrones angels incorporate mercy into their decisions, they must keep in mind the earthly dimensions where people live (since humanity's fall from the Garden of Eden) and hell, where fallen angels live, which are environments corrupted by sin.

Thrones angels show people mercy as they struggle with sin. Thrones angels reflect God's unconditional love in their choices that affect humans, so people can experience God's mercy as a result.

Thrones angels are shown to have concern for God's justice to prevail in a fallen world and for their work fighting injustice. They go on missions to right wrongs, both to help people and bring glory to God. Thrones angels also enforce God's laws for the universe so that the cosmos works in harmony, as God designed it to function throughout all of its many intricate connections.

Thrones Angels Appearance

Thrones angels are filled with brilliant light that reflects the brilliance of God's wisdom and that enlightens their minds. Whenever they appear to people in their heavenly form, they are characterized by light that shines brightly from within. All the angels who have direct access to God's throne in heaven, that is the thrones angels, the cherubim, and seraphim, exude light so bright that it's compared to fire or gemstones that reflect the light of God's glory in his dwelling place.